Pennsylvania Perspective for Monday, October 5, 2026

Pennsylvania

Session Week, Lawmakers Push for Statewide School Phone Ban

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is in session this week October 5 to 7, and state lawmakers are making a final push to pass legislation mandating a statewide “bell-to-bell” ban on cell phone use in schools before the election break. Endorsed by Governor Josh Shapiro, the proposed bills would require school administrations to prohibit mobile device usage during the school day while leaving specific enforcement methods up to individual districts. The primary legislative hurdle remains whether the mandate should apply to all educational institutions, including private and religious schools, or solely to public schools receiving direct state funding.

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A Guide to Pennsylvania’s 2026 Gubernatorial Race

As the November election approaches, Pennsylvania voters will choose between incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity in a highly consequential gubernatorial race. According to a City & State guide, Governor Shapiro, who holds a significant lead in public polling and has amassed a $55 million campaign war chest, is campaigning on his first-term record of bipartisan budget agreements, economic development, and protecting reproductive rights, arguing that a Democratic sweep of the state legislature would allow him to legalize recreational marijuana and codify abortion access. Treasurer Garrity, who has raised $5.3 million for the midterm cycle, is centering her campaign around a six-point “Turnaround PA” plan focused on property tax relief and lowering utility costs, while criticizing the governor’s past support for data center development and warning that a Democratic trifecta would result in higher taxes and restrictive policies.

Philadelphia

Philly Prepares for Medicaid Rule Changes

The Parker administration has launched the One Philly Medicaid Access program to help residents navigate new federal regulations that could cause over 70,000 Philadelphians to lose their healthcare coverage. Driven by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the updated rules immediately disqualify certain legal immigrants, including asylum seekers, from Medicaid. Furthermore, beginning in January, individuals covered under the program’s expansion must renew their enrollment every six months and provide monthly proof of at least 80 hours of work, volunteering, or education. To prevent eligible individuals from losing their benefits due to these new administrative hurdles, the city has convened working groups and initiated public outreach campaigns. Local leaders are preparing for the potential strain an influx of uninsured residents could place on the city’s municipal health centers, with City Council proposing hearings on the matter and urging major hospital systems to assist with community education efforts.

Pittsburgh

CMU Receives Historic $3B Gift

Carnegie Mellon University has received a $3 billion donation from Citadel founder Ken Griffin, marking the largest individual gift in the history of higher education. The historic contribution will fund the creation of a new 35-acre campus in Miami, Florida, while dedicating $1 billion to the university’s existing Pittsburgh campus. The Miami location, expected to begin enrolling students in 2028, will accommodate over 3,500 students and focus on strengthening technological innovation and American competitiveness. In Pittsburgh, the $1 billion allocation will be split evenly between flexible support for top university priorities and the School of Computer Science, which will be renamed in Griffin’s honor. As part of the arrangement, Griffin will also join the university’s board of trustees.

Federal

PA Joins Multistate Lawsuit Over EPA Power Plant Rules

Pennsylvania has joined a coalition of 21 states and several municipalities in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the Trump administration’s decision to repeal regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants. The Democratic-led coalition, which filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, argues that the EPA unlawfully abandoned the pollution caps without adequately considering reasonable alternatives or the resulting health and climate costs. Conversely, the EPA contends that revoking the Biden-era rule will save the utility industry over $300 billion and prevent the forced shutdown of facilities. The legal challenge coincides with the EPA advancing separate measures designed to prevent future administrations from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

SEC Proposes Easing ‘Pay-to-Play’ Campaign Donation Limits

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is proposing the rollback of a 2010 rule that bars Wall Street money managers from collecting fees for managing public funds for two years following a political contribution to a relevant state or local campaign. Implemented after a series of high-profile corruption scandals, including cases involving top public officials in Pennsylvania, California, and New York, the rule aimed to prevent investment managers from securing lucrative public pension contracts through political donations. SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins argued in his September proposal that the regulation suppressed free speech and unnecessarily pushed firms to ban political donations entirely, asserting that state and local antifraud laws should handle the policing of influence-buying. However, critics of the rollback, including the chair of the Pennsylvania state school pension board and several private fund managers, contend the rule is an essential preventive restraint that levels the playing field and deters the pay-to-play corruption that necessitated the regulation initially. The SEC is accepting public comments on the proposal through November 9.

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